Pete Rose said his fans would likely be "elated" if baseball reinstated him. "Everything should be for the fans," Rose said Tuesday before a preview party celebrating Saturday's opening of a special exhibit in his honor at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. "If they retired my number here, don't you think the fans would be elated?"

The "Mona Lisa" of baseball memorabilia, an almost mint condition 1909 Honus Wagner tobacco card, arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday in the company of an armed guard but without its new owner, a mysterious Southern California collector who shelled out most of a record $2.35 million for it.

When the players break out the bats and balls, it's time for fans to reach for the sunscreen and road map. All over the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues, little dots of towns spring to life for spring training. For rookie visitors, here's a look at where to go.

Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn are shoo-ins to be elected to baseball's Hall of Fame Tuesday, but the underlying question is how the first candidates from baseball's so-called steroid era will fare. Mark McGwire, who blasted 583 homers, is the first serious Hall candidate to be connected to performance-enhancing drug use. The announcement is at 2 p.m. ET.

Cal Ripken will easily be elected to the Hall of Fame when voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America is announced Jan. 9. He and the San Diego Padres' Tony Gwynn are first-ballot shoo-ins. But if ever a candidate deserves to be a unanimous choice, it's the former Baltimore shortstop, Ripken.

Pete Rose is being honored by a Hall of Fame the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. The Reds Hall of Fame and Museum called a news conference for Tuesday to announce plans for an exhibit recognizing the achievements of the banned career hits leader. Rose was banned from the ballot for baseball's Hall of Fame after he agreed in 1989 to be banned for life for gambling on baseball games.

A new era of Detroit championship baseball begins Saturday night when the Tigers play Game 1 of the World Series in their snazzy $300 million Comerica Park. Opened in 2000, Comerica has roomy concourses, carnival rides and a downtown view, but many former players still have fond memories of venerable Tiger Stadium.

This is all about the Detroit Tigers. They have earned it. Last Sunday, the Tigers clinched a spot in the post season for the first time in 18 years. That is the fourth longest span of any MLB team not to have played in October.

Chase Utley homered twice and drove in four runs, and the surging Philadelphia Phillies overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Florida Marlins 10-7 Sunday for their fifth straight win. Philadelphia, which has won 10 of its last 12 games, entered with a half-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the wild-card race.